The First Pot
April 1, 2026
39 min
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Episode 1 · April 1, 2026
The First Pot
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Heni Talks Episodes Around April 1, 2026
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39:31This episodeThe First Pot
Summary
What was the first piece of pottery that humans ever made? What does it reveal about our earliest ancestors? In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel back to the earliest civilisations to find out how they created the very first ceramic objects and what that meant to the story of mankind.
Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:
Venus of Dolní Věstonice, 29,000—25,000 BC
Vestonicka venuse edit by Petr Novák, Wikipedia
Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vestonicka_venuse_edit.jpg
For the full legal code, see the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/legalcode.en
Vestonicka venuse back by Petr Novák, Wikipedia
Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vestonicka_venuse_back.jpg
For the full legal code, see the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/legalcode.en
Fire-Flame Cooking Vessel, 2750—2500 BC
Deep Vessel with Decorative Handles, 3500—2500 BC
Met Museum
Bell Beaker, 2475–1800 BC
Bell Beaker Rijksmuseum of Oudheden by Gary Todd
Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bell_Beaker_Rijksmuseum_of_Oudheden.jpg
For the full legal code, see the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the HENI Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Additional Research: Catherine Ingram
Editor: Alessandro Ruocco
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction: How Ceramics Changed History
00:02:13 Clay vs Ceramic
00:04:50 The Oldest Writing About Potters
00:06:58 The Venus of Dolni Vestonice: The First Ceramic Object
00:12:41 How Early Societies Discovered Ceramic Technology
00:15:32 The First Pots: From China to Japan
00:17:58 The Jomon People
00:19:24 Jomon Pots: Decoration, Function, and Meaning
00:25:01 Fire, Food, and Transformation
00:25:57 Nomadic Potters
00:32:00 Pottery as Archaeological Evidence
00:33:12 The Bell Beaker People of Britain
00:35:25 Ceramics as a Mark of Civilization
00:37:21 An Ancient Technology Still in Use Today